The Bureau of Land Management has prepared an Environmental Analysis (EA) for the Monell Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Project. The EA analyzes the impacts of drilling and developing 126 wells on public, private and state lands in Sweetwater County, Wyo.

The Monell EOR project area is located immediately south of Interstate 80, approximately 35 miles east of Rock Springs and approximately 70 miles west of Rawlins, just east of Bitter Creek in the 50 year-old Patrick Draw Field, Monell Unit. The proposed project would involve a total of 126 wells; 46 on public, 77 on private, and 3 on state lands. The project area would be drilled and developed over a 3- to 6-year period with project life extending for over 20 years. Development of the 126 wells would require the construction of approximately 127 miles of access roads and gathering lines. An estimated 12 miles of new roads would be built on federal land and 20 miles of roads would be built on private or state land. Enhanced oil recovery is a development approach used to increase the amount of oil that can be produced from a reservoir by injecting alternating amounts of CO2 and water into the reservoir to release oil trapped in the pores of the rock. As a result of CO2 injection the company anticipates additional production of up to 28 million barrels of oil.

The BLM released a scoping notice on July 8, 2005. Seven comments were received. According to Environmental Protection Specialist Darlene Horsey, “The BLM used prior comments and input from scoping to develop a well-balanced environmental assessment of the area.”

The environmental assessment and this announcement are posted on the Rock Springs BLM web site at: www.wy.blm.gov/nepa/rsfodocs/monell/index.htm

These comments may be published as part of the environmental process although individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name and/or address from public view or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.

For more information concerning the Monell EOR Project, contact Darlene Horsey at 307-352-0335.